Albert Matlin - Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH

Professor: Albert Matlin

Department: Chemistry

College: Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: CHEM205
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Very tough class.. tests get progressively more difficult as the year goes on. No graded homework. That being said, Matlin is an EXCELLENT professor. He is a great guy, funny, and very knowledgeable. Labs are fun and very easy. Requires a lot of work outside of class... but a very very fun class indeed. You will learn a lot and be better for it.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: CHEM325
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

He is very knowledgeable about Org. Chem., and can field any question you ask him. His homework assignments aren't graded which is nice except that your grade is entirely dependent on tests. He makes lots of jokes in class and has very sarcastic humor that I find hilarious. Occasionally has typos on the board, won't be offended if you point it out.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: CHEM205
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Professor Matlin is the best professor I have ever had. You have to put in time and work, but it is by no means impossible. He is very available, willing to help, and a really engaging lecturer. He is very funny and makes long lectures seem shorter with jokes and interesting references. HIGHLY recommend taking his class.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: CHEM205
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Very, very difficult class. The lectures went really fast and were difficult to follow. It requires a lot of time spent outside of class making sense of the material. That being said, Matlin is a great guy.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: CHEM205
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Organic chemistry is a hard class. Prof. Matlin teaches it well, but it's still hard. Granted, I didn't do any of the textbook reading, but there is a lot to memorize. Matlin goes fairly fast and has a lot more experience drawing chemical structures than you. That said, he also pauses and tells jokes at opportune times to ease the rush.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: CHEM205
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Professor Matlin is an absolutely amazing professor. His lectures are inspiring. He does go a little fast, but reading the topics in the textbook before they are covered in lecture makes the lectures completely manageable and easy to follow.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: CHEM205
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Professor Matlin is a great professor and a pretty hilarious guy. He made me love organic chemistry. His class is still pretty hard, but it's up to you to make it. I didn't do much work and still managed to get Bs. He is wonderful.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: CHEM325
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Albert Matlin is simply the best lecturer ever lived. When taught by Matlin, organic chemistry becomes a magical subject that will surely bring you to ecstasy, blow your mind, and challenge you intellectually. If you graduate from Oberlin without taking a class with him, then you would have missed everything. everything.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: CHEM205
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Basically, he drew lots and lots of reactions, and didn't explain them. Either that or he talked so fast it was impossible to copy the reactions and absorb what he was saying at the same time. He's a nice guy, but I know a lot of people have trouble with his teaching style.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: CHEM205
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

CHEM 205 with Matlin was hard as balls. He's a good professor, but he talks VERY FAST and does not necessarily do a great job of clarifying things. I worked really hard and managed to learn the material and do well in the class--it is possible. Also, hot. Hot hot hot hot hot.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: CHEM205
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Pretty good class. The most important thing about Matlin is that he is not boring at all, and he makes the subject material very interesting. He does go a little bit too fast if you don't consider your self a chemistry person, but the problem sets and practice exams offer good preparation for tests. You don't need to textbook at ALL.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: CHEM205
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Matlin can be a little tedious to listen to for 75 minutes particularly at first though he does grow on you, but if you do, he's clear and makes the material fairly easy to understand. (This is provided you didn't miss the class before.)

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: CHEM101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Outstanding Prof.-- He was funny and enthusiastic but also very "no- B.S." if you will. Go to class, and you hardly need to put in much time outside of class because his lectures are very clear and very good. Other than a few problem sets to hand in its just tests and he gives you tests from previous years to study from so its no sweat. great!

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: CHEM205
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

he made organic pleasant, fun, and understandable. the problem sets were adequate preparation for exams, and he explained everything thoroughly, graded fairly, and introduced a lot of interesting topics that related to the material--for instance, hangovers are caused by the oxidation of ethanol to an aldehyde! How cool is that.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: CHEM101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Matlin is a great guy. He has a good sense of humor and is really into the subject. However, his exams are SO HARD. His problem sets are not good preparation for his exams. If he wants students to do well in the exams his prob sets should be made way harder.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: CHEM101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Even though I hate chemistry, he was a great professor.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: 205
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

good guy, good teacher. ochem is hard, period.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: CHEM101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Prof matlin is a great guy, he knows his stuff, he's funny, dresses well and has charisma. He is really helpful and friendly too, but his exams are hard and I suck at chemistry( which has nothing to do with matlin. )

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: CHEM101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Funny in class, a bit impatient/testy if you're not understanding the material as well as he'd like. He makes chemistry make sense, for the most part, even if you have no real interest in the subject.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: CHEM205
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Truly excellent teacher. Taught organic chemistry in a wonderfully logical, organized fashion, and was very good about helping students in office hours and weekly optional review sessions.